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It looks like the state of California took a step to reduce both its emissions and its vehicle expenses.

The Department of General Services today announced that Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s executive order to eliminate unnecessary state vehicles has led departments to cut 7,112 vehicles from the state fleet. The reduction included 4,204 passenger cars and light duty trucks, which alone is expected to save the state more than $12.6 million annually in fuel, insurance and depreciation costs.

“We have made tremendous strides examining every mobile asset and cutting the size of our state fleet,” said DGS Director Fred Klass. “Moving forward, we will use the methodology established to drive this reduction to help prevent unnecessary increases to the state fleet in future years.”

The Governor’s order also called on departments to eliminate all nonessential and cost-ineffective permits that allow thousands of state employees to commute to and from work in a state vehicle. The cuts resulted in 3,246 vehicle home storage permits being eliminated, a 45 percent reduction from the number of permits departments had issued in January 2011, and eliminating more than 1,000 permits than were called for in the Executive Order. These cuts are expected to save an estimated $3 million annually in fuel costs, as employees are no longer commuting in those vehicles.

Gov. Brown’s fleet reduction executive order called on the Department of General Services to conduct the first-ever examination of all mobile assets within the state fleet and eliminate any nonessential vehicles. The eliminated vehicles include passenger cars, trucks, vans, buses, heavy equipment, boats, trailers, planes and other mobile assets. The cuts represent a 14-percent reduction of the state’s fleet.

When combined with cuts made by the prior administration in 2010, more than 20 percent of the state fleet has been eliminated in four years.

Ironically, it looks like, from the picture sent by the DGS, one of the cars cut is a first gen Prius hybrid.

Volvo has announced the creation of a new family of diesel engines, including a new fuel injection technology.

Max Reid

Very good. Get rid of all those big gas guzzlers.

Philadelphia government also reduced 700 personal vehicles and replaced them with zipcars, since these vehicles are needed for their personal just to go to their office and come back home.

Remember, zipcar uses only fuel efficient vehicles. So its a saving for both the government and also the country.

Old Man Crowder

Canada’s Department of Environment is reducing its fleet by 13% as well.

Let’s hope others join the party too!

Van

Can’t wait for the eventual story of how some of these found their way into the hands of folks with good Democratic connections. Or others stored indefinitely like the forgotten Prius boondoggle where about a hundred new cars were stored and forgotten.